Santa Clara County Health Digest

As the first serious case of bird flu in a human is reported and more dairy herds across the state are infected, California Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency. Read on to learn what that entails.

Blood donations drop over the holidays, but demand at hospitals remains the same. Beginning today, Stanford Blood Center is offering $20 gift cards and a chance to win a $3,000 grocery gift card through the season to donors at their mobile collection units.

Read on to learn more about the Sutter Health plans to redevelop two Santa Clara office complexes into health campuses.

Santa Clara County’s new mental and behavioral health court, designed to voluntarily steer people into treatment plans, recently began operation.The county’s Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court, or CARE Court, provides plans for people with untreated “psychotic-type” disorders for up to two years under the supervision of a civil court, according to county officials.

Gov. Newsom launched an ambitious program that uses Medi-Cal to help Californians access housing, healthy food and more. Now, its fate is in the hands of President-Elect Trump.

California has an aggressive mandate for zero-emission trucks, which are powered by electricity or hydrogen. But trucking companies face big obstacles — and people are still breathing dangerous diesel exhaust.

Are food recalls on the rise? Yes. Read on to learn more.

Birth centers are midwife-run facilities that deliver babies outside of hospitals. They have struggled to stay in business in part because of strict state licensing requirements.

California Democrats have passed two dozen laws to protect abortion access since the Supreme Court in 2021 overturned Roe vs. Wade. New bills are on the table.

Learn how health officials and California dairies are responding, or not, to the explosive spread of bird flu through dairy herds across the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is urgently preparing to protect reproductive rights from the incoming Trump administration—and the looming possibility of Project 2025-inspired policies.

H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in a retail sample of raw milk from a Fresno-based raw milk dairy. Read on to learn more.

Bird flu has been spreading among dairy workers in California’s Central Valley, jumping from cows to people. A new suspected case in the Bay Area came from an unknown source.

In a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 7, officials celebrated the opening of a new Santa Clara County-operated health clinic in Palo Alto on November 13. Learn more about this newest clinic in the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center network in the article.

The invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitos have been detected in more areas of Santa Clara County, prompting officials to hold meetings to discuss their response to the threat posed by the species. 

A strain of bird flu that imperiled California poultry and cattle has jumped to people. In humans, the symptoms are mild and the virus has not been transmitted among people.

In an October 29 press conference, Santa Clara County officials announced a Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative to offer health services for Medi-Cal eligible individuals who are 90 days from their release from incarceration.

A summary of the latest campaign finance filings from the candidates running for seats on the El Camino Healthcare District Board of Directors in the November election.

An introduction to the candidates running for seats on the El Camino Healthcare District Board of Directors in the November election.

The Mercury News explains the Proposition 35 to renew the existing tax used to fund Medi-Cal health services.

The summer COVID surge in California may be finally abating, but people are still advised to get update vaccines in anticipation of a resurgence in the fall and winter.

A California minimum wage law that was delayed amid budget troubles is now set to go into effect Oct. 16. It’s expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of workers.

An estimated 1 in 5 schools has no air conditioning and another 10% need repair. Underfunded schools struggle to keep classrooms cool as heat waves intensify. “It’s a hot mess,” one teacher says.

The California surgeon general is launching a campaign today to spread awareness about health conditions that contribute to pregnancy-related deaths, such as heart disease.

California’s new cap on health care cost increases is regarded as the most aggressive in the nation. It includes potential fines against companies that exceed the limit.

A proposal by Kaiser Permanente to further develop and expand its medical campus on Hospital Parkway has been approved by the San Jose Planning Commission.

H5N1 bird flu has been reported in three California dairy herds.

Lawmakers approved two bills to allow some community colleges to provide bachelor’s degrees in nursing. That’s setting up another conflict with the California State University, which already offers these bachelor’s degrees.

On September 3, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency reported a bat discovered in Soquel had tested positive for rabies.

Almost everyone in California has health insurance. That trend reflects about a decade and a half of policymaking designed to expand access to health care. The state’s average uninsured rate has dropped from nearly one in four Californians in 2009 to less than one in ten today.

Pharmacy benefit managers attempt to negotiate cost savings for insurers. California is considering new rules that would require them to pass their discounts on to consumers.

About 4 in 10 Californians are carrying medical debt. Lawmakers are advancing a bill that would prevent that debt from affecting credit scores.